ESSEX Council has provided an update on a service it started in March last year in aid of young people.

Kickstart Essex was started to help people who are aged 16-24, unemployed and claiming universal credit.

The service is a gateway to the government’s kickstart scheme and those eligible have the chance to apply for placements funded by the government.

As of January, 87 per cent of successful kickstart finishers have secured work following their placements.

Tony Ball, Essex councillor responsible for education excellence, lifelong learning and employability was encouraged by the results.

He said: “When deciding to become a gateway for the scheme, our goals were to ensure that both employers and young people were supported by us.

“This was so that both would have a positive experience and would lead to permanent employment opportunities at the end.”

In total of 55 young people have successfully completed the scheme, 48 of whom have progressed into permanent employment and 34 of whom were taken on by businesses that recruited them through kickstart.

There are still kickstart vacancies available until the end of March 2022, for more details visit https://bit.ly/3LDDxVC.